1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a joint connector and to a method of assembling it.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ground joint connector has a housing with a connecting portion and a grounding portion. The ground joint connector also has a ground terminal with a plurality of terminal pieces projecting therefrom. The ground terminal is mounted in the grounding portion of the housing and so that the respective terminal pieces project into the connecting portion. A mating connector connected with ends of wires for grounding is fit into the connecting portion and the wires for grounding are grounded collectively (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,628)
An intermediate connector has a housing with connecting portions at opposite ends. The intermediate connector also has a joint terminal with a main body and terminal pieces projecting from the opposite edges of the main body. The joint terminal is mounted in the housing so that the terminal pieces project into the respective connecting portions. Mating connectors are fit into the connecting portions so that wires are connected in a branched manner (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,455).
The above-described ground joint connector and intermediate connector use the ground terminal and the joint terminal to conduct branched connections of wires at many points at once and have simple constructions. However, the ground joint connector and the intermediate connector are provided separately. Thus, the mating connectors are connected separately therewith and a suitable installation space including a space for the connecting operation is necessary. Therefore, there has been an earnest desire to improve operability and to make a joint connector more space efficient.
The present invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to improve operability.